I have an unhealthy obsession with all things “coconut”. So until this love affair ends, of which I hope it never does, I’m afraid you will be bombarded with statements such as, ‘scatter some desiccated coconut on top’, ‘if you have any coconut milk, use that instead’ OR ‘there’s never enough coconut in anyone’s recipes’. Deal with it. There’s nothing quite like the rich, creamy, sweet taste of it. Mmmm.
These are also inspired by my favourite favourite favourite penny sweets. The coconut mushrooms. Oh dear me, they are FIT!
Anyway, I’m intelligent enough (just) to realise that coconut isn’t everyone’s friend, so, if you are one of those beings (!) just leave out the desiccated coconut (maybe replace with 25g of chopped nuts) and swap the coconut milk for any milk you fancy.
ENJOY!
Ingredients
120g gluten free flour (you can use normal flour if you’re not gluten free)
70g ground almonds
30g cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
60g desiccated coconut (+ a few extra tsp for dusting)
200g golden caster sugar
125ml coconut milk
2 medium eggs
50g chocolate (dairy free, chips or chopped in small pieces)
Preheat oven to 170oC
Muffin tin, lined with muffin cases
Makes about 12 BIG muffins
1) In a medium bowl mix together the flour, ground almonds, cocoa, baking powder, bi carb and desiccated coconut. Set aside.
2) In a large bowl whisk together the sugar and milk, then add the eggs one at a time and whisk until everything is combined.
3) Fold in half of the flour mixture, then the remaining half. Be careful not to over mix, as little stirring as possible please, but enough so everything is just combined. (The less you ‘mix’, the moister it will be!) Carefully stir in the chocolate until evenly dispersed.
4) Pour the batter into your muffin cases until they are 3/4 full, they rise, so you want to leave them a bit of ‘growing’ space. Dust each muffin with a little extra desiccated coconut.
5) Place on the middle shelf of the pre heated oven for about 18-19 mins. They are done when a skewer inserted comes out clean and they are slightly browned on top. Leave to cool in the muffin tin, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
I like to eat my muffins warm. Just saying.
